This monograph describes the results of the archaeological excavation at
the site of Tell Jemmeh, Israel, undertaken by the Smithsonian
Institution and directed by Gus W. Van Beek during the years 1970–1990.
All the artifacts from the excavations were shipped from Israel to
Washington, D.C., and have been restored, studied, and analyzed in the
National Museum of Natural History for the past four decades. The site
is a strategic and large mound located near Gaza and the Mediterranean
coast. It was inhabited continuously for at least 1,400 years during the
Middle and Late Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Persian period. The
highlights of this excavation are the findings of a large and affluent
courtyard house from the Late Bronze Age, a sophisticated well-preserved
pottery kiln from the early Iron Age, a complex of Assyrian-related
administrative buildings during the late Iron Age, and a complete
granary of the Persian period. This is a detailed and final report on
all of the excavation results, including the architectural remains,
stratigraphy, pottery, and other finds. In addition, several more
detailed and focused studies of certain aspects of the site’s material
include (among others) chapters on imported, decorated, Philistine,
Assyrian-style and Greek pottery and chapters on figurines, sealings,
jewelry, amulets, scarabs, cylinder seals, flint, coins, ostraca, and
fauna. The volume is richly illustrated with nearly 1,000 figures
showing field photographs, plans, sections, and drawings and photographs
of artifacts. The significance of the results is summarized and
discussed in the final chapter.

Table of contents

List of Figures --ixList of Tables --xxviiPreface and Acknowledgments --xxivIntroduction and Background.1. Introduction / David Ben-Shlomo and Gus W.Van Beek --12. Environmental background of Tell Jemmeh / Gus W. Van Beek --16The Architecture, Stratigraphy and Finds from the Different ExcavationFields.3. Field III: The Southeastern Step Trench / David Ben-Shlomo -- 214. Field II: The Northwestern Stepped Trench / David Ben-Shlomo --1625. The South Trench (ST1) / David Ben-Shlomo --1986. Field I: The Late Bronze Age /David Ben-Shlomo --2097. Field I Furnace (the Kiln), Square KB, and FUR 2-FUR 3 / David Ben-Shlomo --3378. Results from Field IV: The Iron II and Later Periods / David Ben-Shlomo --4039. Bread Ovens and Related Installations /Alexander Zukerman --642

The primary focus of the project is notice and comment on open access material relating to the ancient world, but I will also include other kinds of networked information as it comes available.

The ancient world is conceived here as it is at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, my academic home at the time AWOL was launched. That is, from the Pillars of Hercules to the Pacific, from the beginnings of human habitation to the late antique / early Islamic period.

AWOL is the successor to Abzu, a guide to networked open access data relevant to the study and public presentation of the Ancient Near East and the Ancient Mediterranean world, founded at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago in 1994. Together they represent the longest sustained effort to map the development of open digital scholarship in any discipline.